Hey Reader, The last 7 days knocked me sideways. Last week, I wrote you a message that I planned to send after taking a nap. That nap ended up being 3 hours long and I accepted that rest was the priority. Then by Monday, I was not feeling any better and decided to test for COVID. Welp, this mama tested positive!! 16 days into the new school year, and all of my plans got smaller out of necessity instead of choice, including parenting my daughter this week. Eclipse season asked for surrender,...
7 days ago • 1 min read
Reader, from community, collaborators, and conversations with potential clients to some low-tech family time in one of my favorite spots in the world. Here’s a photo from the past so that you can imagine where I am today as this lands in your inbox: Wherever you are in this moment, let this be a moment to take a deep breath and center on what’s in your sphere of influence. Feel your feet on the ground. Or in my case, the sand in my toes. Ask yourself 🪄 What do you need now? Water? A hug? A...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Reader, this week I kept stepping out of my comfort zone and into the growth edge. Two in-real-life events. The ICAN Oakland Small Business Mixer on Wednesday evening. The Bay Area Nonprofit Breakfast Club on Friday morning. Rooms full of people I did not know on Monday, and now get to follow up with before heading out for our family camping trip before school starts. Here is what I remembered: my joy lives in community. In showing up in person. In hearing what other founders and nonprofit...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Reader, I have been sitting with an uncomfortable duality over the last week. ❤️🔥 I am a daughter and a granddaughter of the American Revolution. 🇺🇸 That part is confirmed. That means my maternal lineage traces back 250 years. My mom has the certificate framed. I have never formally applied. Nonetheless, it’s been traced that far back. Let that sit for a moment. 250 years. Now juxtapose, starting the process to re-educate myself (a Black queer mama) alongside my daughter (a Black girl) and...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, Last week I went quiet to honor Juneteenth, choosing to rest in Freedom rather than produce through it. In fact, me and the fam saw Toy Story 5. You can read my initial thoughts on LinekdIn or IG. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This week, the room I've been building BTS is ready to open. 👀 The Human Systems Lab opens Monday, June 29. It's a free community, off the algorithmic platforms, for the everyday leaders and quiet revolutionaries holding the work of equity, culture, and belonging. A place to...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, I turned 44 on Tuesday, gave myself Wednesday to rest and integrate, and I'm coming back to you on a Friday with something I've been holding for a while. I spent part of my birthday writing a letter to my younger professional self. I want to share it with you... Dear Jillian, You will spend years convinced that before you can convene people on your own, you have to become the expert with another credential, more proof, and another level of mastery. Here's what took you/me too long...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Reader, I need to say it plainly: Maycember is real. 😅 Last time I showed up in your inbox, I named what so many of us feel every spring. May does not ease in. It escalates. 💨 I have been living proof of that for the past two weeks. I put my head down. I stayed in it. I did not look up much. nd this week, I crossed the finish line for my client. 🏁 We are talking about a virtual Town Hall for 45 people. Facilitated. Held. Done. ✅ We are talking about a 50-page guide. Written. Delivered. Done....
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, I am in the deep end this week. 🌊 And honestly? This is exactly where I want to be. I had my kiddo’s last elementary Open House last night. 🥹 Reminding me that we’re in the descent of the school year with 18 school days remaining and more events coming up that I need to add to my calendar! In the lab, being in the deep end is what it feels like to bring an organization’s DEIJ compass to life. A current partnership is asking me to co-create something innovative with them. While...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Twelve weeks ago, I began a cycle. A guided practice really of returning to myself. 💫 What came through on the other side surprised me in the best way: not a louder version of who I've been, but a clearer one. I spent years naming myself a DEI practitioner or JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Strategist. I've managed DEI initiatives. I've held space for DEI practitioners who were burning out under the weight of work that organizations asked them to carry alone. To...
4 months ago • 2 min read